Science Communication at the Age of COVID-19

I have been a science communicator for almost 12 years now I can assure you, this is by far one of the worst periods when it comes to the amount of dangerous skepticism, amplified by ignorance and easy access to social media. Unfortunately, it’s also the period when critical thinking is needed the most. Millions of lives are at stake! You would think people would come together to solve a global a threat that could wipe out a large portion of our species if not contained, instead they resort to disputes, conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation about things they can’t control or hardly know nothing about.

It’s good to have a reasonable amount of skepticism, but even skepticism itself can be dangerous when it’s too excessive. It clouds your judgment from seeing the truth. Same goes with keeping an open mind towards new ideas. Everything needs to be moderate and well balanced. As Carl Sagan said “It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”

I have noticed large groups of people using “fancy” terms to object scientific evidence. They call it “fear mongering”, “fake news” or “media hype” when it doesn’t line up with what they believe in. They approve of it and spread it further if it matches with their ideology without examining its source or the scientific evidence behind it.

Can you imagine what could have happened if everyone in the world decided to ignore the problem of the COVID-19 pandemic? We would see bodies collapsing in the streets from a “mysterious illness” and we would be helpless in finding a way to contain it. Because hey! It’s “just a flu, ignore it and it will go away”. It would be like the Black Death pandemic (1347 – 1353) situation all over again, which killed up to 200 million people around the world back when the world’s population was not more than 450 million people. We would live like a primitive medieval society that doesn’t know anything about disease-causing germs despite our technological and scientific revolution. Our excuse? It’s “fake news” and it’s “fear mongering”. This is the kind of world those people want us to live in.

I have personally talked to people who ignored the COVID-19 problem until they lost their loved ones from the disease, only then they took it seriously. That’s when they realized that the numbers we see everyday aren’t just digits, they represent real people who had memories, life experiences, consciousness and connections in real life. They were loved by their families and friends; they had plans to go somewhere this summer and create new beautiful memories. One day they were alive and well, the next day they were gone.

Can you even begin to imagine what it is like to lose a loved one? In case it hasn’t happened to you yet, it’s a horrifying experience and I have gone through it myself when I lost my oldest brother a few years ago. A person who you have connected with for a long time … gone with a blink of an eye. Meanwhile millions of others calling of all this “fake news” and “fear mongering”. It’s an insult to the victims of this devastating pandemic, an insult to the scientific evidence and the knowledge we spent decades collecting, and an insult to the collective intelligence of our species. We are better than this.

During this pandemic, I have always sided with science, which came at a cost. I have been called many names and accused of many things. “He’s paid by China”, “He’s paid by WHO”, “He’s paid by the freemasons who control the world”, “He’s paid by Bill Gates”, “He’s paid by big pharma”, and I chose to ignore them. I’m ignoring them not because I can’t defend myself, but because there is a bigger problem to focus on: a pandemic.

Just like everyone else, I want this pandemic to end right now so we can all move on with our lives. This is why it’s my duty as a science communicator to provide you with reliable updates on what’s going on. We all need the cure, so I’ll keep you informed about the latest updates on its progress. I understand how this experience can be damaging to the mental health of some people. If you have noticed, I have focused on covering inspiring and positive stories to help us go through this pandemic while keeping our sanity intact. However, we also don’t want false hope where you would be misled to underestimate the severity of the problem. That’s not my style. It’s important to learn new facts about the virus and the pandemic even if they go against our wishes sometimes. It’s important that we learn how the virus behaves so we can protect ourselves and our loved ones in better ways and minimize the damage caused by this pandemic. 

Please, let’s all be responsible during this pandemic not only by practicing social distancing, but also by learning the facts from authentic sources only. And remember, it’s not “fear mongering”, it’s a real threat that could reach you and me if we are not too careful. Let’s not panic, let’s stay strong and cautious during this temporary difficult time. It will pass. In our fight against the coronavirus, we will emerge victorious because hey, it’s not the end of the world.

Stay safe!

~ Hashem